Back-spacing mechanism.



0". THIEMEQ BACK SPACING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1915.

1,204,612. Patented-Nov. 14, 1916.

50 equal to the downward pull of theinotor operated link, positions the' racks 100 before.

PAET o OTTO THIEME, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIG-NOR TO MOON HOPKINS BILLING MACHINE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATIONOF MISSOURI.

BACK-SPACING MECHANISM.

1,204,612. Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

1915. Serial No. 25,457. i

Application filed May 3,

T 0 all whomit ma 3 concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO THIEME, aciti- Zen of the United States, residing at city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain newv and useful Improve-' ment in Back-Spacing Mechanism, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description, such as'will enable'others skilled in the art to which it *appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in Which-- Figure 1 is a detail sk'eletonized View of my improvedcarriage shifting mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a front elevational view. Fig. 3 is-a side elevational View, Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional View through the laterally movable paper carriage.

This invention relates to anew 'and'useful improvement in carriage shifting mechanisms for calculating machines, the object being to automatically position the carriage containing a platen for-supporting a sheet of paper whereby data, which may be Written by the typewriting mechanism, may-be identified with certain items introduced into' the calculating mechanism. For instance,

in banking transactions where, to expedite. matters in the clearing house, it is desirable to employ the number of the bank on which the check is drawn and the number of the bank in which the checkis' dep0sitedthese numbers may be set up on the typewriting mechanism as, for instance, 3456, and then, without employingthe tabulating keys of the typewriting mechanism or manually shifting the carriage, the amount of the check,-as for instance, $23.45, may be set up on the digit keys of the adding machine, after which thehandle of the calculating machine may be pulled, or them'otor key which controls the main operating shaft of the calculating machine may-be operated so as to introduce theitem into the accumulgrting mechanism of the calculating machine.

In the type of machine to-which my inventionis designed particularly to be applied, such for instance as illustrated in FrenchPatentNo. 383,719, dated January 16th, 1908, the forward pull'of the handle,

there is any engagement between said racks the carriage so that the item $23.45 ma be printed to one side, preferably the lefliof the numbers of the banks, to wit: 34-56,

as follows: I

rotate the platen and position the paper for.

another operation.

The second operation, like the first, may be performed by'printing, with the typewriting mechanism, the number of the bank on which the check is drawn, the number of the bank Which'is entitled to credit for the check and in which the check is deposited, then, Without moving the typewr ter carriage, proceeding to set up the number on the key board of the amount of the check. If this is $545.67, for instance, that amount would be set up on the key board of the calculating machine and the motor key operated,'the operation of the motor key on the first half stroke positioning -the carriage so as to print the number $545267 directly under and in proper position relative to the first item $23.45, as follows:

This operation of identifying the banks by the typewriting mechanism and setting up the items constituting the amounts of the checks on the key board of the'calculating machine being'continued, the operation of the calculating machine positioning the carriage and its platen-supported paper properly, thus rendering it'unnecessary to utilize the tabulating keys and also returning the carriage to normal position. Thus, assum ing that fivethousandof such items are set up in the machine in a dayswork, fivethousand operations of. the-tabulating keys will be saved and as many return movements manually restoring the carriage to normal position will likewise be saved.

- While I have mentioned banking transactions, it is obvious that the machine is capable of use in othertransactions as, forinstance, amounts of premiums paid on life insurance policies and the numbers of such policies may be tabulated, the premiums being accumulated and the totals thereof obtained; likewise, the numbers of cars and the tonnage of each car may be tabulated and the total tonnage obtained, etc. It is obvious of course that instead of employing numbers to identify certain items which are listed and accumulated, words may be written by the typewriting mechanism, such as States or other data necessary to identify the listed items.

Instead of writing in the dates, numbers or other identifying data on the typewriting mechanism in the first instance, it is obvious that the items to be listed and accumulated may be first set up on the key board of the calculating machine, the operation of the digit keys of the calculating machine not operating the escapement mechanism of the carriage as in letter-spacing operations, but permitting said carriage to remain laterally immovable, after which the typewriter keys may be operated and coincidentally therewith the letter-spacing escapement mechanism will be operated so as to position the carriage from right to left.

The carriage shifting mechanism hereinafter described positions the carriage from left to right and I have found that the sweep of the carriage shifting arm should,v for ordinary operations, include not less than fifteen letter-spacing positions of the carriage, thus permitting fifteen identifying characters to be written by the typewriting mechanism. Within this range of fifteen characters, the sweep arm will restore the carriage to normal position. It is of course obvious that the sweep arm could be made longer to include a greater range of identifying characters, or the arm could be made shorter to include a sh rter range of identifying characters, if it was foundthat a less number of identifying characters could be used.

' In the actual operation of the machine, if the carriage is stepped over four spaces in the writing in of four identifying characters, the carriage will be returned four spaces to its original position; or, if 6, 9, 1 2, or 15 identifying characters are employed and the carriage stepped leftwardly a corresponding number of spaces, it will be restored just exactly the number of spaces stepped leftwardly by the typewriter keys. In this re spect, my device differs from the so-called shuttle mechanisms for shifting carriages a predetermined distance at each operation.

The carriage shifting mechanism which will restore thecarria'ge a variable distance depending upon;the number of identifying characters written inby the typewriting mechanism is only operative withrespect to the carriage when the carriage is in certain positions, or rather when the adjustable block on the carriage, with which said shifting mechanism coiiperatesfls in a certain position, said shifting'mechanism being normally not in control of the carriage, which permits the carriage to be shifted laterally in letter spacing operations without requiring any special adjustment of the parts. This is accomplished by-pivotin'g the sweep arm so that in its normal position, it will lie below the path of travel of its cooperating adjustable pin on the carriage, thus permitting the carriage and its pin to move over the sweep arm in ordinary typewriting operations without interference; but, when the adjustable pin on the carriage. is moved in the path of movement of the sweep arm, the carriage will be restored to a predetermined position at each operation 'of'the operating shaft of the calculati g machine.

In the dra ings,"l i have shown a motor driven machine in which 1 indicates the base plate upon which the typewriting and calculating mechanisms are mounted.

' 2 are posts for supporting the top plate 3 of the typewriting mechanism, and 4 is the side frame plate-of, the calculating machine.

5 is the laterallylfniovable carriage containing a platen 5, under which the paper to'be printed upon is passed and supported;

all as set forth in the patent to which refer:

once has heretofore been made. v

'6 indicates a motor for operating the main" operating shaft of the calculatingmachine by means of a link 7 which link is connected to a rock arm extending from the operating shaft 8. This motor is controlled by a motor key 9 connected by a rod 10 to a sliding bar 11 which is provided with an inclined face for raising the clutch releasing bar 12. The

details of this motor drive form no part of my present invention and need not be further described.

13 indicates an arm loosely mounted on the shaft 8 and resting upon a pin 14 extending from the operating link 7. The forward end of this arm 13 is held down by a spring 15, said forward end being connected by a rod 16 to a bell crank lever 17. pivotally mounted on .a bracket secured; to the top frame plate 3 of the typewritingfm echanism. In its normal posltion, the sweepm imbtr of this bell crank 1'? lies'belowithehol ontal plane of travel of a pin 18 mounted on a block 19. This block 19 is adjustably mountthe listing of identifying items may be done at different points on the sheet of paper being printed upon. I prefer to have several adJuStable blocks as shown in Fig. 1 so that two .or more columns of identifying items may be printed on thesame sheet of paper side by side,'if desired. It is, of course, obvious byfreferring to Fig. 1 that when the end of the sweep arm 17 lies under the pin 18, the typewriting mechanism can be operated and the paper carriage letter-spaced without any interference .whatever from the sweep arm. However, in the tabulating work for which thismachine is expressly designed, one or more of the blocks 18 are properly positioned. The carriage is then adjusted so as to place a pin 18 within the sweep of arm 17. This can be determined by pressing the motor key and ascertaining that the paper carriage is moved .by the sweep arm one or more steps to the right. Then as a number is set up in the adding mechanism and. the carriage advanced leftwardly up to the range of the sweep, said sweeparm will return the carriageto its original starting position upon the operation of the motor key. Of course, if the carriage is stepped leftwardly so as 'to move the pin 18 beyond the sweep of the arm 17, the carriage will "be beyond the control of the sweep arm and will have to'be again placed under control of said sweep arm by manually positioning said carriage rightwardly.

In operation, assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig.2, an item to be listed and accumulated may be set up on the key board of the calculating machine, the depression of the keys of which not effecting a lateral step by step movement of the paper carriage, after which identifying letters or numbers may be written on the paper by means of the typewriting mechanism. The operation of each typewriter key will move the carriage. leftwardly step by step and written on the paper up to the range of the sweep arm, the pin 18 will be operated within the arc of movement 'of the sweep arm and under control of said sweep arm. .Of course if the pin 18 passes over and to the left of the sweep arm, the operation of the sweep armwill not coiiperate with the pin and consequently the carriage will not be returned, but in ordinary operations this will not happen andthe pin 18 will be left, after typewriting identifying characters, to the right of the sweep arm so as to be under the control thereof. When. the motor key is operated to introduce the number set up on the key board of the calculating machine into the accumulatorewheels 119, through the medium of the racks 100, (said racks ings, and fully describedin the patent before referred to) the first half stroke of the operating shaft in which the link 7 is drawn 1down, will, through the spring 15 draw the arm 13 down and rock the sweep arm 17 toward the right. The sweep arm will engage the pin 18 and move the carriage toward the right a number of spaces equal to the number of identifying characters'written by the typewriting mechanism, whether one .or more, up to the range of said sweep arm, during which movement of the carriage .toward the right, the rack bars 100 are moved forwardly out of engagement with the wheels 119, until they are arrested by their controlling stop pins. In starting the second half stroke, or what would be equivalent to the backward movement of the oper ating handle, if an operating handle was used, the link 7 rises and forces the arm 13 upwardly, restoring the sweepv arm to its normal position. The accumulator wheels 119 are thrown into mesh with the racks so as to introduce the item therein, and the printing mechanism of the calculating machine is operated to make a'record or .list the items set up on the key board. After the item is listed, the line-spacing mechanism will be operated to rotate the platen levers 22, the rear ends of said levers containing a rod 23 from which is mounted a link 24 for operating the pivoted escapement pawl 25, which coiiperateswith the rack bar 26 on the paper carriage. These pawls are under control of a rocking plate 27, operated by a bar 28, whereby the escapement pawls may be thrown out of operative relation to the rack bar, by means of tabulating keys. In this manner the carriage may be stepped leftwardly upon the operation of any one of the typewriter keys, or by disengaging the escapement pawls either by the tabulating keys, or a lever on the carriage, not shown, the carriage may be moved leftwardly. The stops for the tabulating keys are not illustrated in the drawings, as the same form no part of my presentinvention.

The means for operating the paper feeding pawl 30, which cooperates with the .4 ratchet on the end of the platen, is also shown in Fig. 4, the same consisting of. an arm 31 which is operated from some moving part'of the calculating machine, the outer end of said arm engaging over a stationary lever 32 having a pin 33 which rides over a rod 34 extending throughout the length of h the same forms the subject matter of a companion application filed by me, June 4, 1912, Serial No. 701,518.

What I claim is 1. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a mov-- able paper carriage on said frame, a stop adjustably mounted on said carriage, a

lever mounted on said frame to engage said sto in its sweep and back-space said carriage, and means for rocking said lever.

2. In a machine of the character described, the combination. of a frame, a

movable paper carriage, a stop adjustably mounted on said carriage, a member mounted on said frame and normally positioned to permit the free movement of said stop past said member, means for letter-spacing said paper carriage, and means for moving said member a predetermined distance to back-space the carriage to a pre-' determined position when said stop is in position to be engaged by said member when the latter is actuated.

3. In a machine of the character described, the combination of a frame, a movable paper carriage, a stop mounted on said carriage, a member mounted -on said frame, means for moving said member into engagement with the stop to back-space the 'earriageand means for adjusting the position of said stop relative to said member. In testimony whereof I hereunto alfix my si nature in the presence of two witnesses,

this 26th day of April, 1915.

OTTO THIEME. Witnesses:

EUGENE J. REILLY, M. A. HANDEL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

